Easy tear tape with lift tab



Sept. 16, 1969 'E I ETAL 3,467,250

EASY TEAR TAPE WITH LIFT TAB Filed Jan. 25, 1968 FIG. 4

United States Patent 3,467,250 EASY TEAR TAPE WITH LIFT TAB Anthony N. DElia, 3555 Netherland Ave., Riverdale,

N. 10471, and Edward M. Stolarz, RED. 2, Horton Drive, Yorktown Heights, N.Y. 10598 Filed Jan. 25, 1968, Ser. No. 700,594 Int. Cl. B65h 55/00, 75/02; B65d 85/04, 85/66 US. Cl. 206-59 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An easy tear roll of tape comprising an elongated strip of flexible material with an adhesive coating thereon. Spaced pairs of inwardly and forwardly extending cuts are provided in said strip. The cuts are of a size so that the combined length of each pair of cuts is greater than the width of the strip. Each pair of cuts terminates in a position to define a lift tab having a width of no more than 25% of the width of the strip.

The present invention relates to rolls of tape such as drafting tape and masking tape, and more particularly, to a roll of tape having means for facilitating the detachment of sections thereof, leaving a convenient lift tab.

Various types of drafting tape, masking tape, and the like are formed of a cellulose or paper-like material having at least some slight inherent stretchability. This tape is provided with a suitable coating of an adhesive and comes in rolls wound of elongated strips of the material. A draftsman will normally use four pieces of such tape to hold the sheet of drafting material on which the draftsman is working on the drafting board. In order to conveniently allow for removal of four suitable pieces of the material from the roll of tape, the present invention has for its concept the provision of suitable means for providing tear starting slits in the tape which also is so constructed and arranged to give the highly unexpected and desirable result in that a tear tab is left in a raised position after each section has been removed from the roll.

The concept of this invention features the use of inwardly and forwardly extending cuts which form tear starting strips along both side edges of the tape.

It has been found that if the space between the slits is no more than 25 percent of the width of the strip and the strips extend at a suitable angle to each other so that their combined length shall at least equal the width of the strip that when used with the tape such as the stretchable tape including masking tape, drafting tape, cellulose tape, and the like, a lift tab Will be stretched at the point Where the tape is ripped between the complementary slots so that a raised tear tab will result.

Still further objects and features of this invention reside in the provision of a roll of tape that is simple to manufacture, convenient to use, capable of being utilized for detaching segments of a predetermined size or multiples of the predetermined size from the tape in a convenient manner, and which is effective in use.

These, together with the various ancillary objects and features of the present invention, which will become apparent as the following description proceeds, are attained by this easy tear tape, a preferred embodiment of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, by way of example only, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a roll of tape con- 3,467,250 Patented Sept. 16, 1969 structed in accordance with the concepts of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view showing the manner in which the tape is removed from the roll;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view showing the manner in which a section of the tape is ripped off the roll;

FIG. 4 is a partial plan View of a modified form of a roll of tape; and

FIG. 5 is a partial top plan view of a yet further form of the invention.

With continuing reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein like reference numerals designate similar parts throughout the various views, reference numeral 10 generally designates a roll of tape constructed in accordance with the concepts of the present invention. The roll of tape generally includes a ring 12 of cardboard or like material which forms a rim on Which an elongated strip of material 14 is wound to form the roll. The strip 14 has parallel side edges 16 and edge 18 and the undersurface 20 thereof is provided with a coating of any suitable and well known adhesive.

Pairs of inwardly and forwardly extending cuts 22 and 24 are formed in the tape. These cuts in the form of the invention shown in FIG. 1 preferably extend fully through the tab to form tear starting slits along both of the side edges 16 and 18 of the strip 14. The space 26 between the cuts 22 and 24 as shown is approximately 20 percent of the total width of the strip 14 between the side edges 16 and 18 and is no more than 25 percent thereof. Further, it is to be noted that the angularly converging cuts 22 and 24 have a combined length that is greater than the width of the strip 14 and extend at an angle of approximately 45 degrees relative to the side edges 16 and 18.

In use, when it is desired to quickly obtain a section of material from the roll of tape '10, the lift tab 28 is conveniently engaged as shown in FIG. 3 by the hand of the user and a suitable transverse pull on the section will raise it off the tape and stretch the material at the space 26 slightly at which point it will rip between the cuts 22 and 24, leaving a stretched lift tab 28 raised oflf of the roll as shown in FIG. 3.

In FIG. 4 there is shown a modified form of tape roll 50 having cuts in the form of perforations '52 and 54.

In FIG. 5 there is shown a further modification generally indicated at 60 having arcuate cuts 62 and 64, which serve to provide for an elongated and more conveniently engageable lift tab Where such is considered desirable.

A latitude of modification, substitution and change is intended in the foregoing disclosure, and in some instances, some features of the invention will be employed without a corresponding use of other features. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the spirit and scope of the invention herein.

We claim:

1. A roll of tape comprising an elongated strip of flexible material having an adhesive coating thereon, said strip having parallel side edges, spaced pairs of inwardly and forwardly extending cuts in said strip forming complementary uninterrupted tear starting slits along both said side edges, said slits extending inwardly towards each other and terminating in position spaced from each other to define a centrally disposed lift tab having a width of no more than 25 percent of the width of said strip, the combined length of each pair of said slits being greater than the width of said strip, said strip References Cited being at least slightly stretchable so that said lift tab will at least slightly stretch and be disposed in a raised UNITED STATES PATENTS position after tearing said strip. 2,508,855 5/1950 Brown 206--56 2. A roll of tape according to claim 1, wherein said 5 slits are straight and angularly converging towards each FOREIGN PATENTS e 598,710 5/1960 Canada.

3. A roll of tape according to claim 1, wherein said cuts are arcnately converging. JAMES B. MARBERT, Primary Examiner 

